Someday We'll Be Together

Chapter 14- Alternative House

Lena climbed out of the trash container, using the garbage bags for support, and looked around the surroundings for any sign of her brother and Tyler. After a moment, Tyler's head appeared. He quickly exited the container and turned to Lena, who was brushing off her clothes next to him:
"I guess we forgot to stand a bit further back from where the trash bin would be."
Lena laughed and nodded. Just then, a cat darted out of the container, followed by Max's head:
"Hey, you two. Instead of just standing there, how about giving me a hand?"
Tyler and Lena helped Max out of the container, and they walked out into the open air from between the two buildings. It was raining, just as it had been on the day they left, and since it was noon, the sky was bright.
"I think we're back," Lena said.
"This place definitely smells like 2008," Max remarked, looking at the familiar store signs.
Tyler ran to a poster on the wall of a building:
"Hey, look! Georgina Hamphred is still the mayor!"
Max joined Tyler and tore the poster off, stuffing it into his pocket. Lena and Tyler looked at him oddly.
"If she wasn't my mom's age, I'd totally date her," Max said.
Lena rolled her eyes and started walking ahead:
"Yeah, but don't you already have a girlfriend?"
"Who?"
"Sam?"
"She blamed me for something right before we went to the past and broke up with me. I knew she was seeing someone else, and I was going to break up with her anyway," Max shrugged.
"I didn't know you guys broke up," Lena said, surprised.
"Well, now you do," Max said indifferently. "But maybe we never broke up."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, maybe in this future, we stayed friends and never dated."
"Why would that happen? We didn't change anything about Samantha."
"I asked my parents to make sure their kids don't date their best friends," Max said.
"Hey, guys! Come over here."
Lena and Max saw Tyler across the street, pointing at the town hall.
"Whoa. What happened here?" Max said, seeing the town hall had a completely different appearance. Moreover, the basketball court and town square had also changed.
"We must have altered something related to this," Lena speculated.
"How could we have changed the shape of the town hall?" Tyler asked.
"Maybe it has something to do with me flirting with Georgina at the market," Max joked.
"I don't think so. I mean, look, it's completely renovated. Something must have happened to the old building."
Just then, a woman with an umbrella approached them. She was one of the town hall volunteers who had previously asked Tyler and Lena for donations to save Lincoln Forest.
"Help with the basketball court restoration!"
"What happened to the basketball court?" Max asked, curious.
"Twenty-five years ago, an explosion next to the town hall reduced the basketball court's area. But Mayor Hamphred is running a campaign to restore it to its original size," the woman explained.
Max pulled a 10 dollar bill from his pocket and handed it to the woman.
"We must do whatever it takes to restore the basketball court to its former glory."
"Thank you. Don't forget to take an umbrella and a flyer."
Lena took a flyer from the woman and began reading it.
"An explosion? Was there an attack or something?" Tyler asked as he opened the umbrella.
"The generator malfunctioned for unknown reasons, and Los Angeles lost power for a day," Lena said as she continued reading the flyer.
"Of course! We overloaded the generator with electricity, and it must have exploded after we left," she added.
"But didn't they figure out it was Ms. Lincoln's experiment?" Max asked.
"I don't know. Since they don't know the reason, they probably couldn't determine it. They still don't know," Lena said.
"What if she died in the explosion after we left?" Tyler asked, his voice filled with concern.
"No, it says no one died in the explosion. Since it was a rainy night, the fires were easily extinguished," Lena said, folding the brochure and putting it in her pocket.
"We can look up more about this in the newspaper archives," she added.
"I'm really hungry," Tyler said.
"Me too," Max agreed.
"Then let's grab something from the market. We've come a long way," Lena suggested.
They walked towards the corner market. As the door opened, the girl at the counter looked up at the newcomers.
"Marla!"
Lena ran and hugged her friend.
"Is everything okay, Lena? You're acting like you haven't seen me in ages," Marla said, bewildered.
"Believe me, I haven't," Lena said, not letting go.
"Alright," Marla said, trying to smile as she pulled back. She then looked over Lena and the others.
"Is there an 80s-themed party or something?" she asked, noticing the clothes they were still wearing from the big game.
"Oh, yeah... exactly. We were just about to go such an event," Lena said evasively.
"Where's this party?"
"In Lincoln Forest. You wouldn't want to get wet, so it's better if you don't come. We were just leaving anyway, right, guys?" Max and Tyler nodded convincingly.
"Who holds a party outdoors in the rain?"
"Especially in weird Lincoln Forest."
"Lincoln Forest?"
Marla looked as if she had never heard the name before.
"The forest you directed us to for our project," Lena clarified.
"That's not Lincoln Forest. Yes, an old scientist named Margaret Lincoln lives there, but she doesn't own the forest. It's Justin Bieber Forest."
Max looked at Tyler and struggled not to laugh. Tyler pretended to be unaware.
Lena stared at Marla in disbelief.
"Justin Bieber... Forest?"
"Yes, what a coincidence. Someone named Justin Bieber used to live here."
"What happened to him?" Tyler asked curiously.
"He was one of three teenagers who disappeared 25 years ago for unknown reasons. Since they couldn't remember the names of the other two, the forest was named after Justin Bieber."
"But we told them we'd return to the hippie commune in a week," Max said.
Marla looked at him oddly.
"I mean—"
"Oh, I guess something must have happened to them in the explosion by the town hall," Lena said, rescuing Max.
"Most likely," Marla nodded.
Tyler placed some snacks on the counter. While Marla rang them up, Max pointed to a newspaper:
"Hey, look! Ms. Lincoln is still alive!"
Tyler and Lena looked at the newspaper headline Max indicated. It said that Mayor Hamphred had gifted a part of the forest to Ms. Lincoln in recognition of her work.
"So that's why the forest wasn't named after Ms. Lincoln," Tyler said.
"And there won't be any construction there anymore," Lena added.
Marla was looking at them strangely. To avoid further questions, Lena quickly left some money on the counter and led Tyler and Max out of the market.
"By the way, I didn't choose to work on the project with Tyler."
"What do you mean?" Marla asked.
"I know I told you Tyler was a bad guy, but—"
"Lena, are you okay? Tyler is one of your best friends at school. And Max's friend too."
"Oh, really? Well... that's great. I guess I should go now." Lena closed the door behind her and stood there for a moment, with Max and Tyler looking at her in surprise.
"Wassup!" Tyler said.
"I guess in this universe... we're really close friends," Lena said to Tyler.
Tyler nodded:
"Just as it should be."
"I should head home too," said Tyler. They were standing in front of Lena and Max's houses.
Lena nodded, "See you at school tomorrow."
"Later," said Max as Tyler waved and walked towards his own house. Max pointed at the brand new garage door:
"Hey, look, it seems we don't use this as a room anymore."
"And the garden looks really clean," added Lena.
As Lena turned the key and opened the door, Max stopped her:
"Hey, wait! I wrecked the car and I'm grounded. We need to come up with an excuse for my mom."
"We can say you went to pick me up," said Lena. She then opened the door, and they walked in. The interior looked significantly renovated. The old couches were replaced with a brand new set, the TV was the latest model, and the dining table was in a different place. Leo was sitting at the table, working on a new-looking computer. When he saw Max and Lena, he looked up at them.
"Why are you wearing mom and dad's old clothes?" he asked, looking at Lena and Max in their 80s outfits.
"You're right, we should change out of these," said Lena.
Max walked over to Leo:
"Whose computer is that?"
"Mine," said Leo in a very serious tone.
"Oh, okay... what are you doing with it?"
Leo looked up from what he was typing at Max.
"I'm doing my college work."
"College work? Are you going to school?"
"Max, did you hit your head somewhere? I've been studying law for two years."
"Wow, that's great. Good for you," said Max, nodding. Then he turned to Lena, who also looked confused.
As they went upstairs to change their clothes, Max's excited shout echoed through the house:
"I have a PlayStation 3!"
Lena ran into Max's room and saw that everything was newly furnished. Max was examining a shelf full of games.
"I have a massive closet!" said Lena with excitement.
"This place looks sick!" said Max as he looked at his brand new computer.
Just then, they heard their mother's voice from downstairs:
"Lena, Max, I brought you some pizza!"
Max and Lena looked at each other. Their mother never liked to buy fast food. They hurried downstairs and were shocked by what they saw. Their parents were sitting on the couch, cuddling.
"Mom? Dad?"
Mr. and Mrs. Fontana turned to Max, who was looking at them in surprise.
"Max, are you hungry, dear?"
Max wasn't interested in his mother's question. He was focused on his father, who had also caught Lena's attention.
"Dad, you... you look younger."
"Thanks, Max. What are you going to ask for this time?"
"I'm not saying it to ask for something. I'm serious."
"And you've lost weight," said Lena in astonishment.
"I never gained any weight. But thanks anyway."
"What do you mean? Don't you drink beer and eat junk food?" asked Max.
"I don't drink alcohol," said their father.
"He hasn't since we met. I'm so proud of him," said their mother, smiling.
"Hey, how did this happen?" Max whispered to Lena.
"I don't know. I once told my dad he shouldn't smoke. I guess he listened to me," said Lena.
"I'm the luckiest man in the world to have such an amazing wife."
Lena and Max stared at their father in disbelief. He was flirting with their mother again.
"Mom, are you still mad at me for wrecking the car?" Max asked, trying to change the subject.
His father almost jumped out of his seat.
"You wrecked the car?"
"That's impossible. The car is in the garage," said Leo, looking up from his computer.
They walked to the garage. Max helped his father open the garage door and couldn't believe his eyes.
"Whoa, that's hot!"
A brand new Range Rover was parked inside. As Max excitedly examined the car, he asked his father:
"Did you win the $10,000 bet?"
"What bet?"
Max looked at his father:
"Don't you gamble?"
"No. Are you okay, Max?"
"I'm better than ever," said Max, nodding.
"Then how did you get the car?" asked Lena in amazement.
"With the money I earned."
"You're earning money?" Max's eyes widened.
"Of course I am, Max. Did you think the school wasn't paying me?"
"Are you a professor?"
"No, Lena. I'm also Max's basketball coach, remember?"
"Are you?" asked Max in surprise.
"Lena, Max, are you sure you two are alright?"
Lena and Max looked at each other.
Mrs. Fontana interjected, "Max, by the way, you have two missed calls from Sam. She's a really sweet girl. You should call her back so she doesn't get upset."
"Sam... we're talking about Sam, my girlfriend, right?"
"No, you have a girlfriend?"
"Don't I?"
"Sam is your best friend, Max."
"Really? That's great!"
Mr. and Mrs. Fontana looked at each other strangely.

Meanwhile, Tyler had also reached his own house. There was a car in front that didn't belong to them. As he walked into the yard, he noticed that the fences had been replaced with wire mesh. There was a lock on the gate. He climbed onto the trash can next to the wire mesh and jumped into the yard. The door's color had changed as well.
"My dad would never paint the door green," he thought.
After circling around to the back, he lifted the window to his room and climbed in. But this wasn't his room. The walls were painted pink, and it looked like a girl's room.
"Oh my God, do I have a sister?" he said to himself. At that moment, a half-naked girl wrapped in a towel entered the room and screamed when she saw Tyler. Tyler stumbled and grabbed onto the wall behind him. The girl ran out of the room, and Tyler tried to understand what was happening. As he looked around, a man entered the room with a baseball bat. Terrified, Tyler lifted the window and jumped back into the yard. The man was following him. He jumped and grabbed the top of the wire mesh, climbing over it and landing outside the yard. The man stopped chasing him, but Tyler kept running down the street, unsure of what to do. When he felt out of breath, he stopped and took a deep breath. He had to accept the truth: other people were living in what was supposed to be his house. Tyler took out his phone and thought whether he should Lena or not. Then he put his phone back in his pocket and continued walking towards the town square.
When he arrived at the town square, he wasted no time and entered the corner store. Hearing the doorbell, Marla turned and looked at him.
"Hey, I didn't expect you back so soon."
"Uh... where's the phone?"
"In your pocket," Marla said with a grin.
"I mean the public phone. I need to find someone's address," Tyler corrected.
"Oh, it's in the back," Marla said, nodding towards the back.
"Thanks."
Tyler went into the small room behind the counter and started flipping through the address book under the phone. Near the end of the book, he found the letter W and ran his finger down the names.
"Westin, Kyle."
Tyler stopped his finger on his father's name and read the address next to it.
"4213 Mayfair Street."
The address was different from their home address. Tyler left the phone room and turned to Marla, who was watching him curiously.
"Do you know where uhh... Mayfair Street is?"
"Isn't that the street you live on?" Marla asked.
Tyler looked at her strangely.
"How do you know that?"
"You took me to your house after the amusement park last week. Don't you remember?"
"I took you to my house?"
"Yes, I had something to tell you, but your dad came home, so I had to leave."
Tyler didn't know why Marla was being so familiar with him. Marla got closer and touched his shoulder. "I want you to know that I like you, Tyler."
"W-what?"
Tyler stepped back, putting some distance between them. "I know you're a very close friend of my best friend, but during the time we spent together, I—"
"Marla, when did we start spending time together?"
Marla looked at him with a confused expression.
"Technically, since Lena is our mutual friend, we started being in the same places, and after getting closer, we started hanging out."
Tyler shook his head.
"Listen, uh—I'll get back to you, but I really need to find my house."
"I can help you if you want. I can take you to the street where your house is," Marla offered with interest.
"I guess... that would be good," said Tyler, looking very confused.
Marla called to her father, who was stocking items at the other end of the store:
"Can you watch the counter for twenty minutes? I need to go somewhere."
Then she turned to Tyler:
"Let's go."
As they started walking outside, the rain had stopped, but Tyler was still drenched.
"You must be cold," Marla said, looking at Tyler's wet hair and clothes.
"Actually, yes."
"You should change your clothes. You don't want to get sick, do you?"
Marla took off her jacket and handed it to Tyler. When Tyler saw her offering her jacket, he pushed her hand away:
"No, Marla. You'll get cold."
Ignoring what Tyler said, Marla placed her jacket on his shoulders and then linked arms with him as they continued walking down the street under the setting sun.